Leo Cullen reflected on Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final loss at La Rochelle and admitted: "They guys are gutted".
Cullen blamed a lack of a clinical edge and the failure to stay on the right side of the referee in terms of the ruck battle after a promising start on both fronts for his side's 32-23 loss against the Top 14 title contenders.
"They were very aggressive around the contact area, very aggressive at the ruck," said the Blues boss.
"And from us, we just need to be able to deal with it better, understand the referee’s interpretation on the day and in the first half we got some of those calls, the penalty count was high in our favour.
"But that changed either side of half-time. So it’s incredibly frustrating for everyone, The guys are gutted.”
Cullen watched his side take a 7-0 lead by the seventh minute and they still led 13-12 with 25 minutes remaining, but the second half belonged to La Rochelle, who scored two crucial tries after the 66th minute.
"We weren’t clinical enough, really," he said. "In the first half we created lots of opportunities, they just hung in there well, didn’t they, just keeping the scoreboard, three, six, nine.
“We couldn’t pull far enough away from them after having lots of good pressure and play, a few big turnovers at different stages as well, a few turnovers then at the start of the second half, which gives them more field position and territory, then they just start to play that pressure game, some of the big power runners they have, particularly Skelton.
“A couple of guys start slipping off tackles, particularly on him, and he definitely is a handful, gets in for his try towards the end.
"That was kind of the game, not quite accurate enough from us at various different stages in terms of nailing some opportunities and a couple of big turnovers around the ruck in both halves.
“First half we can’t stretch our lead to get far enough in front and then second half which just gives them a lot of access down to our end of the field.
“A lot goes into getting us to this point so it’s pretty disappointing when we don’t give a full account of ourselves on the day.”
Cullen insisted that the heat in the French city on the Bay of Biscay wasn't a factor.
“Not really, no," he said. "We wanted the pace of the game high so unfortunately with the pace of the game high we wanted to keep playing but we just weren’t quite accurate enough within that.
"You could see a few of their guys at different stages, they’re big men and they looked like they were hanging on at various different stages but you’ve got to give them a huge amount of credit because in fairness they hung in there well.
“When they got their opportunities they put the squeeze on us then.
"Again, around a power game more than necessarily out-manoeuvring us in any particular way.
"Getting to (La Rochelle outhalf Ihaia) West as well, he was accurate with his goal-kicking and nailed all his kicks which kept them in the game but then pulled them out of our reach in the second half.”
